Fangs
by no.lid
Summary: A little boy just wants to be accepted and when he goes to Hogwarts as a student anonymously, he thinks he has a chance. Will The Marauders ruin it? Or will they befriend him as they have unknowingly befriended a werewolf?
1. Trains and Tractors

Hello Journal.

It's September first again. I've had ten September firsts in my life, but of all of them, this is the most exciting. They sure start school late here. I'm so glad to be here. At least it's away from my parents. I know, I shouldn't say that. But they always worry. Too much worry. I hate to be a bother. But I'll always be their bother. Rosie is glad I'm gone, that's for sure. I've never told you this, but she used to tell people I was adopted. What else was she supposed to say? I'm so pale, and she's never been pale in her life. My eyes are brown, hers blue. My hair pitch black, hers blonde. But it still hurt, no matter how much she explained her reasoning. But really, this all started the night I went outside to play after dinner.

What a dreadful night. To think… I could have been normal.

Yours Truly,

The Vamp.

A little eleven year old boy sitting alone in a compartment, set aside his journal with great reluctance. But he had no more to say.

He isn't extremely happy today, but it's been years since he's been happy, so by his terms he's ecstatic. But why would he be happy? He has a completely perfect family at home, perfect and perfectly ashamed of him. Perfect and he fits in with them like a gazelle fits in with a lion. Or maybe it's the other way around, seeing as he's the one that should be feeding on them.

Several compartments away, four friends are kicking out a couple of people, a boy and a girl, one with dazzling red tresses and the boy with dark black, oily hair. Both are noticeably thin, but only one looks sickly. And it's the boy in case you're wondering.

"Snivellus!" Two boys taunt together. "Snivellus!" Then they laugh together at their sparkling wit, and it seems they are quickly becoming fast friends.

Another boy, this one with shiny golden brown hair, who was not impressed and looked rather sullen and sad, returned to his book, _Dark Magic, Dark Creatures, and Generally Everything Bad_, where he was silently reading the chapter titled "Werewolves." He emitted a dark chuckle accidentally, and looked up to see if they'd noticed.

They had. "What're you reading?" They asked him. He held up his book so they could read the cover. He silently cursed them for being so stupid. The little boy had been hurt, and he was weary, too weary for an eleven year old. Things weighed on his shoulders that shouldn't lay on any boy's shoulders, and everyone around could tell. There was something wild about him, like a firmly broken horse that still hoped, dreamed, and remembered freedom. People stayed away from him, and he didn't mind, though often he dreamed of how pleasing it would be to have friends.

This bothered most of the children, how he stayed away. He scared them. But the boys who walked in, they weren't frightened in the least. They smiled and laughed. They included Remus in their jokes. He was quite enjoying himself. He had set aside his book and talked, careful of what he told them. This could be a cruel hoax, and he didn't want anything coming back to haunt him.

He learned their names; the one with glasses and short, midnight black, randomly stuck up places like it was on purpose (but someplace in his consciousness, Remus knew it wasn't) was James. The one with lighter hair, really more brownish black, and longer, and he was handsome, too. Yeah, his name was Sirius, which was a little ironic, seeing as he was the most lighthearted boy Remus had ever met. Remus envied him.

Then, hearing the raucous laughter coming from their compartment, someone decided to join them. But to their disappointment, they were not exactly welcomed with open arms. "Hello," A mousy boy who had entered the compartment squeaked, sitting down. "My name is Rat."

Ah.

"Can- can I… sit-t-t-t here? P-p-p-p-please?"

"Why, OF COURSE, Rat-face." Remus Put his book in front of his face and tried to ignore his nagging conscience.

"Yeah. Why didn't I think to invite a stupid twerp-y snot nosed idiot?" He discovered something extremely interesting on the graffiti-ed compartment wall.

"Same reason I didn't, friend. WE DON'T WANT ONE!!" "That's right, I remember. NOW GET OUT!"

When they were being the mean Remus didn't like them. It was like they disappeared and became different people. It made him uncomfortable. But what would he do if he had to stay friendless after having them for an hour? It was great. He LAUGHED. Was happy.

"B-b-b-b-but… Okay…." Rat hustled out of there, of course. And he left to psychotic laughter.

The joking began again, and Remus put down his book, finding it easy to forget their previous crime and immerse himself in friendship, a lovely, new feeling, as he will do many times in the future.

The train began to slow, and panicking, the boys scrambled into their new robes. (Well, new for Sirius and James.) They exited their compartment, and began walking to the boats that carried first years across the river. Unfortunately, (but not really) Remus was separated from their little group. He was pushed into a boat that was left over, with a boy who looked like he'd been left over too. He looked familiar.

"Hello." Under normal circumstances, Remus wouldn't have said anything, and he would have let the opportunity leave him as soon as it had come. Seeing as saying something had just made him friends and he was still flushed from excitement, he said the fateful thing that changed so many lives.

"Hello." Frankly, the boy was frightened. No one ever said hi to him. They saw the hurt; the pain in his eyes and without his experience didn't want to be around him. But he didn't realize this. He thought they could see he was tainted and not whole. I made him self-conscious to say the least. But he went with it.

"I'm Remus."

"I'm Robert."

And Remus realized what made him so familiar. He looked like the face Remus saw in the mirror when he couldn't avoid looking. He looked beat down and worn. Like a stone that the river has run over too many times to be beautiful anymore. When it stops being shiny and starts being… small. But he looked smaller than Remus. Much smaller.

The boat reached the shore and he was saying goodbye to Robert when Sirius saw him, shouted, "Oy! Remus, good buddy, good pal!" And grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him away. He turned for a last look at his new friend's familiar face and saw him standing, looking at his shoes, the river running around him and wearing him down more and more and more….


	2. Vampire Eats and Wizard Treats

"Listen, guys," Sirius started in on Remus and James as they entered the Great Hall. "We all have to get into Gryffindor. And we hate anyone that is in Slytherin."

"Aren't all your family in Slytherin?" James inquired quietly and urgently in his ear.

Sirius shot him a withering look. He spoke in a dull tone, more sad than anything. "And I don't like them, either."

Family issues, thought Remus. Okay then.

A few yards away Robert planned his next journal entry in his head.

Hello again, Journal.

I'm so depressed. I got into Slytherin. I heard all them talking. "He looks the right sort. Odd."

They were talking about all the Houses and how horrible Slytherin was, how all the bad wizards began there. I knew either that or Hufflepuff, were leftovers were, was for me. I don't like it, but Ravenclaw is for geniuses, and Gryffindor is for the courageous. I'm just a leftover. I can barely do magic, as I'm always concentrating on NOT savaging the other children. Mum says it'll get easier. Maybe it will. But what does Mum know? She's perfect. Anything she knows of my 'condition' has been out of a textbook, waiting for wholebloods to drink up the information like I drink up blood.

Batty ol' Rob

Get it? Batty? This is why I don't have friends. Sigh. See you.

Sure Robert wasn't ACTUALLY in Slytherin yet, but he was bound to be. I mean, he was convinced of his own vicious evilness; as evil as a ten year old could be. Even if he was a vampire, he still liked what normal kids liked, except where food was concerned. The only food he ate was raw meat and blood-suckers for vampires. Dumbledore had given me assigned seating in the First year section of every table. To be safe. He said to look for the plate with Robert written on it. Like that wasn't embarrassing.

Elsewhere, they had gotten into the late "B's" and Sirius was getting as nervous as he was likely to get, chatting with James about the latest model of broomstick. "You know, I could care less about it," James was saying. "The Shooting Star is coming in April and they're already making huge leaps in handle curve! Until then I can ride my Moonstar 300 with no worries instead of buying a new broom that in a few months will be absolutely insufficient." "But you just nailed why I want it! I want it because it's NEW!" As James was about to continue the argument, they were shushed by a fat professor. "What does he teach?" James asked Sirius, who would know bout everyone because of Regulus. "He teaches Muggle Studies. I don't know much about him since Regulus got excused from that class because of his VIEWS, you know." Sirius answered. And just like that, they were done fighting.

And then the lady shouted out, "Black, SIRIUS!"

"Whoop, that's me!" He said, and sauntered out of the small, quiet mob of First years, and up to sit on the stool waiting for him. The lady, looking surprised at his nonchalance, set it on his head.

And this is what happened in there:

SIRIUS: Oh, god, PLEASE! Please! Don't put me in Slytherin! I don't want to be like them! Not like them! They're BAD PEOPLE!

HAT: Shh, shh. It's okay! I won't put you in Slytherin! Just, please! Be quiet! Now, let me search. I see bravery. Happiness. Quietness. I see you want to be different than your family. I see that you are different. You are a VERY good actor, you know. Really. I saw you coming and thought you'd be an easy one. Whoa. Let's see. Oh, you're intelligent, brave, AND you're a Black. You have their vindictive evil streak. A real prankster. But you'll go the right path, I know it. Now, you hold on to those boys you just met. They'll be good for you. Okay. I got it.

"Gryffindor!!"

"I knew it!" A boy shouted out, seemingly involuntarily, from the Slytherin table. "TraiTOR!!!!" He stood up, and his friend pulled him down, and could be heard saying, "Shut up, you bloody idiot!"

He went and sat down at the Gryffindor table to confused, light cheering. They'd heard his last name, but they also saw his smile.

Sirius looked down at the empty plate, and the name written across it. He figured they'd just run out of regular china.

After a while, Lupin was called, and he was trembling as soon as the hat hit his head.

"Gryffindor!"

He wasn't trembling very long.

James, Sirius, and everyone but Robert was shocked. He'd seemed timid, cautious, and at best he should have been put in Ravenclaw! But Robert saw him in a different light. He'd been bold, said hello to him when everyone else had shied away. In a way he was proud.

Either way, Remus went with his ever-present saddle bag to sit next to Sirius. He took a book out of it, _Magic Things, Evil and Good_, and opened it up to his favorite chapter, "Why Werewolves Should Scare You and What to do When They Want to Maul You." Sirius looked down at it, grabbed it out of his hands, and flipped it upside down to read the cover. "Why are you always reading about werewolves? They're not that interesting you know, in fact, most of the time they're human. If you want an interesting bunch to study, it's Trolls. You read some of the things they've done and they're so stupid, it's funny!"

"Not everything is fun and games, you know!" Remus retorted. "Things are not always good! I don't know what kind of life you've had if you think that, but mine's been HARD."

"I know that! My life hasn't been great either! You're so clueless! You know nothing about me."

"You know nothing about me!"

"Potter, James."

JAMES: Doo doo doo doo….

HAT: My Goodness. You're stupid. I mean, you have plenty of talent, but no focus. Are you ADHD??

JAMES: I take medicine!

HAT: I don't… What should I…

JAMES: Just choose already!!

HAT: You have the courage to be in Gryffindor, but I can't tell if it's bravery or just you're so stupid you're not scared to do things.

JAMES: Scared? SCARED? I'll never be scared as long as my name is… um… Oh god… Let's see. JAMES! JAMES POTTER! If my name is James Potter I shall never be scared. Okay. Thank you.

HAT: You know what? I'm getting too old for this.

"GRYFFINDOR!!"

James emitted a low, "Cool," as he hopped off the stool and strode toward his new table.

"Hey Sirius. What's up with the 'Robert' on the plate?"

"I have no idea. All I know is Remus is being a big fat ass."

"I am not. He thinks he is so cool! He is just being STUPID."

"That's ridiculous. Sirius is the smartest person I know," James said indignantly.

"And you've met other people?"

"Yes. Now don't be mean. I think you each hurt each other's feelings. We're all friends here. Give each other a hug and say you're sorry."

Sirius and Remus looked at each other and then at him and said in unison, "Are you gay?" And the fight was over.

They joked and laughed and soon the table was almost full. Then they got to the V's.

"Vint, Robert."

Robert timidly, meekly wandered as if by accident up to the stool, and slowly lowered himself down. It had settled onto your head.

ROBERT:…

HAT: You've been through much. Someone once said something like, "Courage is being scared and doing what frightens you anyway." You didn't want to come here, and you didn't just come here for your mother. You are brave. Looks like you're going to need to rewrite the journal entry you planned.

"Gryffindor!"

Everyone got deathly silent. They took in his sadness, his fright, and his translucent skin and wondered aloud what the sorting hat was thinking these days. Several odd looking sorts had gotten into Gryffindor. Then, just as Robert was about to start crying or shouting or laughing, he didn't know which, Remus started to clap, and soon the entire table joined him, and a few older Slytherins boo'd like usual, and he got calm. But it wasn't a good calm; it was the kind of calm that came before a storm. He had his guard up.

He walked down one side of the table, looking for his plate then he doubled around, and he finally found it. It wasn't in an empty seat, as he'd wanted, but in his seat was a longish haired boy, the one that stole away his friend. Hey, there was his friend now. But would he get up and move? Or would they just scoot down? He tapped the boy on the shoulder.

"Hello. Sorry to disturb you, but I'm afraid you can't sit there."

"And why the hell not?" Sirius thought he'd be easily intimidated. Robert, to Sirius a nameless boy, was weak in Sirius's eyes; a frail boy just waiting for a wind to come and blow him away.

Sirius was wrong.

"Perhaps you'd like to know my name? I'm Robert." Robert said, pointing to his plate. "Dumbledore had this set out for me. I have dietary needs. Look, I don't want trouble. You move. I'll be quiet, and I won't bother you."

"That's sweet. I'll move, sure. But watch your back. We're gonna be living together now, roomy. Maybe we'll go easy on you. Maybe we won't." Sirius threatening Robert did not go over well with anyone. Especially Robert.

All this had happened during Dumbledore's beginning of the year speech. He'd finished, and suddenly the food appeared, and in front of Robert two bowls, one filled with bloody meat and the other with blood pops, appeared. Sirius stared at them, wondering what caused his roommate's dietary needs. Robert smiled at him, showing off his unusually sharp canine teeth. He touched one with the tip of his pale tongue, and said quietly enough to be heard just by Sirius, "I'll mess you up. Bad."


End file.
